Dutchess County Officials have a paramount responsibility is to the public.  The Dutchess County is committed to sharing information with citizens to provide open, accountable, and honest government. Government transparency is at the heart of how citizens hold their public officials accountable and free from improper influence.  

Accordingly, the Dutchess County Code of Ethics ensures the highest standards of conduct by  Dutchess County government officers and employees.  These standards include, but are not limited to:

• No officer or employee may receive money or gifts having a value of seventy-five dollars or more under circumstances in which it could be inferred that the money or gift was intended to influence the performance of official duties; and
• To protect against conflict of interests, the highest ranking officers and employees of the County government must disclose each year any financial relationships that could compromise the performance of their public duties. 

Download the Dutchess County Code of Ethics (.pdf)

Helpful Resources

• Lobbying and Ethical Conduct In Dutchess County, political consultants (“lobbyists”) must file a public disclosure statement with the New York State Secretary of State twice a year which discloses their clients and describes the work of the consultants.
• Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) Requests The Freedom of Information Law ("FOIL") provides the public with the right to access certain government records. These requests are governed by New York State’s “Freedom of Information Law” (Sections 84-90 of the Public Officers Law).